Inclusion
Meeting the Diverse Needs of all Students
Boroondara Park Primary School offers a learning program that aims to meet the diverse needs of all students. We work with families to provide the best education for each individual child. This can involve adjustments and support to enable all students to achieve their goals. The school value of inclusion reflects our commitment to providing all students with equal access to education and to welcoming all families at our school.
Disability Inclusion
Over a staged rollout between 2021 and 2025, the Victorian Government has been introducing the Disability Inclusion reform package to Victorian government schools as the new funding and support model for students with disability. In 2025, our school transitioned to the Disability Inclusion support model.
The Disability Inclusion Profile will support us in identifying students’ strengths, areas of need, and the educational adjustments required to help students with disability and additional learning needs engage and succeed at school.
Disability Inclusion involves:
- a tiered funding model,
- a new Disability Inclusion Profile to determine student needs, and,
- initiatives to help build knowledge and skills in inclusive education in schools.
The Disability Inclusion Profile
The Disability Inclusion Profile is a strengths-based process that helps schools and families identify a student’s strengths and needs, as well as the educational adjustments schools can make to support students with disabilities. The Profile:
- highlights the student’s strengths, aspirations and goals,
- help schools and families identify functional needs and adjustments for students with disability,
- inform individual education plans (IEPs), student learning goals, and school-wide planning, and,
- determine Disability Inclusion tier 3 student-level funding allocations to support schools in delivering adjustments for individual students with complex and high needs.
At BPPS, we utilise funding to implement a range of support strategies, including:
- Individual Education Plans (IEPs): Customised plans developed collaboratively with parents, teachers, and support staff to address specific learning goals.
- Student Support Groups (SSGs): Regular meetings involving key stakeholders such as the student, their teacher, and the support program coordinator, to monitor progress and adjust support strategies as needed.
- Classroom Aide Assistance: Provision of additional support within the classroom to facilitate inclusive learning experiences.
- Specialist Services: Access to professionals such as speech therapists and occupational therapists to address specific developmental needs.
These measures ensure that students with disabilities receive the necessary support to participate fully in the school curriculum and community.
Neurodiversity
The school has focused on supporting students who are neurodiverse by holding parent forums to identify ways the school can better cater to their needs. Through conversation with parents, the school aimed to identify what an inclusive and welcoming environment for neurodiverse students and parents looks like. The group spent time:
- finding out about the expertise in our community,
- giving people the opportunity to ask questions, and,
- working out what support we can provide.
Students share their learning with their families at the end of each term in an Expo. These sessions involve classrooms filled with parents and students. Through these conversations about the needs of our neurodiverse students and parents, the school implemented a Quiet Expo each term. This takes place 30 minutes before the main Expo and enables students and parents with sensory needs to participate in the Expo in an environment that meets their needs.
This work is ongoing, with a focus on supporting families and establishing connections between them. We are seeking parents and students who are neurodivergent and have experienced many different things to access education and a diagnosis. Some in our community will be just starting on the process of discovery and diagnosis. They may have questions and wonderings. We aim to link families, build relationships and our collective knowledge and skills.
Neurodiverse Education and Support Programs
ICAN Network
Staff have been involved in considerable professional learning over the last two years regarding neurodiversity. With sessions on:
- Lived experience of autism (ICAN Network),
- Developing Knowledge and Understanding of ASD to Improve Student Learning and Participation Presentation (Sue Larkey).
The school has collaborated with the ICAN network to host their primary school mentoring program.
The ICAN Imagination Club® is for students with big imaginations! It is a non-Autism specific program to engage a broad range of students, but can be especially helpful for students who have learning differences and/or experience social anxiety.
The program was a great success, supporting a number of students through problem-solving, teamwork, communication, emotional literacy, and leadership activities.
Martial Arts Therapy (MAT) Life Skills
We are currently working with TESSA, providing the Martial Arts Therapy (MAT) Life Skills program to a group of students. The MAT program focuses on physical and mental wellbeing with therapeutic martial arts training techniques. The format engages and empowers young people to learn essential life skills and better manage the challenges they face in life. The program is supported by the School Youth Focused Services in the City of Boroondara.
Join Our BPPS Community
Choosing the right school is a significant decision. At Boroondara Park Primary School, we are committed to creating an enriching and supportive environment where every child can thrive.
Enrolments for Foundation 2026 are now open.
We invite you to book a school tour and discover firsthand what makes BPPS a special place for learning and growth.